STRATEC SE

Regulatory Filings • Mar 17, 2009

News Details

Corporate | 17 March 2009 11:09

STRATEC and QIAGEN extend cooperation

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG / Contract/Alliance

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STRATEC and QIAGEN extend cooperation

Birkenfeld, March 17, 2009

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG, Birkenfeld, Germany, today announced that it
has signed an agreement with QIAGEN Gaithersburg Inc., Gaithersburg,
Maryland, USA, providing for STRATEC to develop and supply fully automated
medium-throughput analyzer systems for use in molecular diagnostics.
Alongside the cooperation for high-throughput analyzer systems already in
place between the two companies, this represents the second molecular
diagnostics system to be developed with QIAGEN from the same family of
instruments. The new system is to be based on a technology platform
developed by STRATEC which has already been successfully deployed in more
than 700 systems at various customers around the world. The throughput
range of this instrument will provide mid-sized laboratories with a
system-solution for deploying QIAGEN's molecular diagnostics tests.

For large laboratories, such as the reference labs in the United States
with high-throughput demands, QIAGEN and STRATEC are already developing a
larger-scale system with throughput rates of around 2,000 tests per
laboratory shift.

'Increased automation is the dominating trend in molecular research and
diagnostic laboratories worldwide. As the leading provider of sample and
assay technologies QIAGEN offers its customers most advanced automated
solutions to cover their specific application needs and throughput
requirements from sample to result', said Jim Godsey, Senior Vice President
North America R&D. 'The extended collaboration with STRATEC will allow us
to provide diagnostics labs with a state-of-the-art analyzer system to
further facilitate the performance of our molecular diagnostic assays,
including our next generation test for the detection of the human
papillomavirus.'

Hermann Leistner, Chairman of the STRATEC Management Board commented, 'We
are very excited that we have gained the trust of QIAGEN to be working on
another key-project together, and using the know how from the development
of the first system and our platform-based and adaptable technology it will
be possible to significantly reduce the development time for this new
system. We anticipate that production ramp-up will begin in the fourth
quarter of 2009, and we expect that the European launch of the new product
should take place in 2010. This cooperation underlines our belief that our
sector is largely immune to the implications of the current economic and
financial crisis.'

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading global provider
of sample and assay technologies. Sample technologies are used to isolate
and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as blood or
tissue. Assay technologies are used to make such isolated biomolecules
visible. QIAGEN has developed and markets more than 500 sample and assay
products as well as automated solutions for such consumables. The company
provides its products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic
researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and applied
testing customers for purposes such as forensics, animal or food testing
and pharmaceutical process control. QIAGEN's assay technologies include one
of the broadest panels of molecular diagnostic tests available worldwide.
This panel includes the only test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the
primary cause of cervical cancer, which has both FDA and CE approval.
QIAGEN employs more than 3,000 people in over 30 locations worldwide.
Further information about QIAGEN can be found at http://www.qiagen.com/.

About STRATEC

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG (http://www.stratec-biomedical.de) designs
and manufactures fully automated analyzer systems for its partners in the
fields of clinical diagnostics and biotechnology. These partners market
such systems, in general together with their own reagents, to laboratories,
blood banks and research institutes around the world. The company develops
its products on the basis of its own patented technologies. Shares in the
company (ISIN: DE0007289001) are traded in the Prime Standard segment of
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

The STRATEC Group consists of the publicly listed parent company STRATEC
Biomedical Systems AG and of subsidiaries and second-tier subsidiaries in
Germany, the USA, the UK, Switzerland and Romania.

Further information can be obtained from:

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG
André Loy, Investor Relations
Gewerbestr. 37, 75217 Birkenfeld
Germany
Phone: +49 7082 7916 190
Fax: +49 7082 7916 999
Email: ir@stratec-biomedical.de
17.03.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

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Language: English
Issuer: STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG
Gewerbestraße 37
75217 Birkenfeld
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0)7082 7916 0
Fax: +49 (0)7082 7916 999
E-mail: info@stratec-biomedical.de
Internet: www.stratec-biomedical.de
ISIN: DE0007289001
WKN: 728900
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Stuttgart, München, Düsseldorf

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